Mexico City has the reputation of being one of the most dangerous cities in the world. It is also known as one of the largest and most polluted cities in the Americas. I was told by many Mexicans who have lived there that it was an unfriendly city where everyone just rushed about, not noticing the things going on around them, and I was told by many travelers that Mexico City was a jewel set in the crown of a golden country. All of these things were on my mind as I approached Mexico City on a night bus from Zihuatanejo and I wasn’t sure what I should think. I reached Mexico’s ‘Terminal Norte’ at four in the morning and, instead of sitting in the crowded terminal until the sun came up, I decided to go ... read more

Guanajuato is a city of narrow, winding alleys, criss-crossing tunnels, stone bridges and impressive colonial architecture. The colonial heart of the city was built into the valley of a narrow ravine with most of the residential homes occupying its steep slopes and with an ever expanding network of tunnels underneath, built to ease the traffic in a city originally designed for horses. Guanajuato was build with the wealth of prosperous silver barrons and is now a thriving university town with an active nightlife. I spent four wonderful nights there. I spent my days getting lost in the maze of cobblestone alleys, every once in a while coming to a break in the buildings that allowed me to look down on the city center and get my bearings. Sometimes even being able to see a familiar structure ... read more

So there I was, sitting in the saddle of El Blanco. El Blanco was a hansom, white, Mexican horse, a horse that any caballero would be proud to ride - That was my first impression of El Blanco. My guide repeatedly assured me, “El Caballo es muy tranquillo” (The horse is very tranquil) when I was paired with him - I didn’t let the uneasy tone in his voice dampen my spirits. We mounted our animals and headed out towards Lake Arareko, the day’s ultimate destination. There were seven of us in total - Five French caballeros, one American (me) and our Spanish speaking guide. I enjoyed El Blanco’s calm disposition, he went where I asked him to with only minimal prodding. Surely the guide’s apprehensive look at the beginning was incorrect, the minor control problems ... read more

Back in September, when I was finalizing all of my flight plans to get back home from Antarctica, I discovered that to get to Hawaii, where I was planning to meet my family for Thanksgiving, from Christchurch I had to fly through Sydney, Australia. The plane ticket that I was flying home on was a government issued one and the rules that came with it said that I would only be able to make one stopover without dramatically increasing the cost of the ticket (which I would have had to pay for myself). Working with the travel agent that was assigned to the Antarctic Program, I discovered that I would be able to have a long layover in Sydney without any additional expenses with the exception of the visa fee. That was great news, because I ... read more

The journey from Wanaka to Te Anau gave me a brief glimpse of Queenstown, the adventure capitol of New Zealand. I didn’t have enough time to stop and explore the town, but I could see that I had made a good choice stopping in Wanaka rather than Queenstown - Queenstown was just too big to properly explore in two days. The road to Te Anau followed the rugged shoreline of Lake Wakatipu for a while and then the scenery changed into the rolling, green hills full of sheep that are so common in New Zealand. We arrived in Te Anau around lunch time and I checked into a hostel with a nice lake view and set off to explore the town. The town of Te Anau is situated on the shore of a lake by the ... read more